IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of industry veterans Maher Abou Nasr and Charbel Boutros as vice president of operations for Saudi Arabia and vice president of development for Middle East & Africa, respectively.

Abou Nasr has been with IHG for over ten years, most recently as head of operations finance for IMEA, overseeing the Middle East, Africa and south-west Asian markets.

Prior to this, he served as the director of development, working with owners and partners across the GCC, with a special focus on Saudi.

In his new role, Abou Nasr will be responsible for the performance of the hotels in Saudi, driving operational excellence, building stronger owner relationships, driving greater owner returns and developing the national talent.

He will also focus on renovations and upgrading the quality of our current portfolio across the nation.

Boutros joins IHG following a 17-year tenure at Roya International with a career spanning across different roles including development strategy, hotel development, hotel portfolio strategy and asset management.

As vice president of development for Middle East and Africa, his immediate remit will be to lead and deliver on the strategic growth and distribution of IHG Brands, focusing on priority markets – such as Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the announcements, Haitham Mattar, managing director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG: “As IHG accelerates growth across the region, we are expanding our brand footprint and elevating the stature and quality of IHG properties within the region.

“With this in mind, we have recruited two remarkable leaders to lead the growth and performance of our priority markets.”

IHG currently operates and franchises 165 hotels across ten brands in India, Middle East and Africa.